Diversity

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

The Department of Psychology at the University of California, Davis is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment. We believe that diversity can be exemplified through the variety of personal experiences, values, and world views that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. Such differences include race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geographic region, first-generation status, and more. Our success as scholars, educators, and citizens and relies on learning from and valuing the experiences we all bring.

Members of the Psychology Department are involved in a variety of activities that promote diversity, inclusion, and social justice both within the department and across the University. Many of our faculty are directly involved with campus programs such as the McNair Scholars Program and MURALS which provide research opportunities for underrepresented undergraduate students. Our department hosts a Diversity Tea in conjunction with Graduate Student Interview Day to showcase resources available to graduate students. In addition, the Psychology Department maintains a faculty committee on Graduate Student Recruitment and Support. One charge of this committee is to identify and enact policies and practices that promote diversity among the faculty, students, and staff. Finally, the Psychology Graduate Student Diversity Committee is a student-led group that provides opportunities for graduate students to connect with each other and engage with faculty on issues of departmental climate and diversity. All students are welcome to join this committee.

A Sampling of Research Centers and Programs Related to Diversity

Many of the research activities of Psychology Department faculty touch on issues of diversity and social justice – race, gender identity, socio-economic status, gender identity, etc. Below is a sampling of some of the research centers and programs in which department faculty are involved.

The Asian American Center on Disparities Research (AACDR) investigates how cultural factors work to either enhance or mitigate the implementation and effectiveness of evidence-based treatments for Asian Americans. The center focuses on the ethnocultural factors that influence the effectiveness of treatment.

The UC Davis Center for Poverty Research mission is to facilitate non-partisan academic research on poverty in the U.S., disseminate this research, and train the next generation of poverty scholars. Our research agenda includes four themed areas of focus: labor markets and poverty, children and intergenerational transmission of poverty, the non-traditional safety net, and immigration.

Research in the Social Cognition Lab investigates the cognitive processes underlying social psychology and behavior. We are interested in how people perceive themselves, other people, and groups of people. Much of our research focuses on stereotyping and prejudice.